


good enough

by electrobolt



Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: Coming Out, Gen, little emily is insecure and i love her
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-18
Updated: 2016-11-18
Packaged: 2018-08-31 17:30:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8587504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/electrobolt/pseuds/electrobolt
Summary: Emily reflects on some things and her father makes her feel a little better.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place about four years after the events of the first game, so Emily is fourteen. Also, I haven't written anything in quite a while so forgive me if this is lackluster.

Emily sat on the windowsill, looking out at her city.

It looked so...peaceful.

She could hardly believe all this chaos and mayhem was over.

It had been four years, but she remembered it all so well.

She had been so small then.

Not that she was that much bigger now, but puberty had taken hold. She didn't feel much bigger, yet her shirts and pants needed to be mended to fit her now.

She turned to look at the crude childhood drawing of her mother that was pinned to the wall. 

What would she think of Emily now?

Her mother was a good empress, but she hadn't taken power until she was older. 

Emily was still a child, for goodness sake!

She knew she would be compared to Jessamine for as long as she reigned.

It was so unfair. She loved her mother, of course.

But Jessamine did not have to go through what Emily had.

"I'm trying, mama." She murmured, into the chilly evening air.

Everything about her was wrong, apparently.

The way she talked.

The way she and Alexi would play around and pull pranks on the staff instead of doing their assigned tasks.

The immaturity with which she handled most issues.

She winced to think of how the people would react to know her secrets.

Emily had always dreamed of being in love the way her mother and father were.

When she was littler, she imagined what it would be like to fall in love.

She imagined a knight in shining armor, a handsome prince asking for her hand.

Until fairly recently, Emily had never realized that her "prince" was nothing more than a vague idea.

It was as fake as the nonsensical stories Callista would whisper to her as she drifted asleep in the Hound Pits.

All the relationships she had seen and looked up to and idolized were always the traditional sort.

The man and the woman, falling in love against all odds, or maybe against no odds, but they were happy.

Then, how was she supposed to explain how she felt about Alexi?

The deep and unexplainable feeling in her chest whenever there was casual, accidental contact.

The way her hair flowed and moved around when she was sparring.

The little crinkle around her eyes when she laughed at one of Emily's ridiculous jokes.

Emily wrapped her arms around her knees.

Was this a real thing she was feeling?

There was a light tap on her door.

She cleared her throat, and got up from the windowsill, attempting to cover up the emotions she felt.

"Emily?"

It was Corvo.

"H-hello, father."

He took a few steps closer to her.

"Emily, sweetheart. Is something the matter?"

She clenched her eyes shut, and then flung her arms around Corvo's waist.

"Oh, father."

"What is it? You know you can tell me anything, honey."

"I know you tell me I'm only fourteen and I hav-have time to become a good empress." She sniffled, head on her father's shoulder.

"But everyone wants me to be like mother, and I'm not! She was so great and good and kind, and I'm just immature and clumsy."

"Emily, no..."

"And everyone talks about suitor this, and suitor that, but none of them are anyone I would ever want to be with!"

"Nobody's going to force yo-"

"I don't want to be with any of them, I want to- to, be with someone like Alexi!"

She suddenly clapped a hand over her mouth.

"... Alexi?"

She banged a fist against Corvo's chest.

"Yeah! I hate all these ridiculous little boys the advisors have me meet! Alexi is beautiful and kind and brave and she does so much for me!" She rambled.

"Emily, I'm not angry with you."

"Y-you're not?"

"Of course not. You're my daughter, Emily. I love you."

He wiped away the tears that were beginning to form around her eyes.

"And if you have to like anyone like that, at least it's someone like Alexi."

She tearfully smiled at him.

"Maybe you should write her a love letter." Corvo said, with a teasing tone in his voice.

Emily laughed.

"Shut up, father."


End file.
